1. Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates to joint replacement, and more particularly, to systems and methods for selecting a patellar implant using a patellar trial piece with variable weights.
2. Related Technology
Joint replacement is becoming increasingly widespread recently. One of the most widely practiced joint replacements is the knee joint replacement. In many cases, the replacement of the knee joint with a prosthetic also involves the replacement of a portion of the patella with an artificial patellar implant.
However, in a significant percentage of the cases, the patellar implant typically fails after five to fifteen years due to instable patellar implant. A failing patella could lead to significant pain in the patient and typically requires a second operation to replace the failed patellar implant.
A patellar trial with different size, thickness, shape or material during a knee replacement surgery is known. However, the current patellar trial lacks the matching of mechanical properties, mass and material accuracies which are crucial to the stability and longevity of the repaired patella after the knee replacement surgery.